Worth $12 Million, Needing $4 Million in Repairs: Atlanta’s Churches Become Hot Real Estate

• Paradise Baptist Church in Grove Park was valued at about $12 million but needed $4 million in repairs
• Five sanctuaries within a dozen blocks in Kirkwood were razed or demolished since 2019
• A converted Druid Hills church offered condos from $640,000
• A Buckhead church site became a 35-storey luxury apartment tower

Atlanta’s churches have become some of the city’s most sought-after real estate, Atlanta Magazine reported in August 2022, creating both opportunity and dilemmas for congregations.

The magazine listed examples across the city. Paradise Baptist Church in Grove Park was valued at about $12 million but needed some $4 million in repairs. In the Kirkwood area, five sanctuaries within a dozen blocks had been razed or demolished since 2019, and along the Memorial Drive corridor church sites were being replaced by more than 100 townhomes. Druid Hills United Methodist Church had been converted into condos starting at $640,000, and the former Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Buckhead had been replaced by a 35-storey luxury apartment tower.

“It’s a struggle, because a lot of people don’t want to go. They feel the church is the anchor,” said the Rev Charles Harper. He added that in the deals he had seen, “Ninety percent of the time, it’s been a debt-free to debt-free transaction.” Tim White of developer Opes Group, whose converted church property included five houses selling from the $900,000s, said: “I can’t say I’ve seen this in other markets.”

Behind the trend is a simple equation. Many congregations have shrunk and aged while the land under their buildings has soared in value, and repair bills on old sanctuaries have grown. A developer’s offer can clear a church’s debts and fund a smaller, newer home elsewhere.

The cost is harder to measure. Churches that anchored neighbourhoods for generations disappear, and members who have moved away may not follow the congregation to a new site.

In Jamaica, church land in growing areas such as Kingston, St Catherine and Montego Bay may also attract developers. Before accepting an offer, a church should get an independent valuation, compare the cost of repairs with the value of the land, consider leasing or partnering rather than selling outright, and involve members early so that the decision is understood.

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